Observation/Reflection #2: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher.
What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room. Draw a map of the classroom and sketch a path showing (approximately) this movement.
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
North Smithfield Middle School November 4, 2010 Mrs. Lynn Hannah
Observation
As her usual daily routine, right at the beginning of the period when the students started filing in, Mrs. Hannah instructed them to immediately take their seats and copy down the daily objective written on the board. This helped the students settle down, gain their focus, and get ready to begin class. When the bell rang, Mrs. Hannah went straight to the board to explain today's lesson. While she was going over the information listed on the board, she instructed her students to be following along, taking the necessary notes needed for the lab, and write down all the instructions and weekend homework in their notebook. For the most part, when Mrs. Hannah was facing the board, the students were diligently taking notes and paying attention to everything she had to say. The students were even asking questions and clarifying any misconceptions they had. However, Mrs. Hannah still made it a point to keep her eyes on the board and the class as well. She never kept her back to the class for more than ten seconds at a time. She wanted not just to be aware of the students, but she wanted the students to know of this awareness as well. There is definitely a wide range of behaviors amongst all the students. Some are extremely hyper and act out often, whereas others barely make a sound. In her period three class, there is a select group of students that clearly loved having the attention focused on them and acted out quite often. Mrs. Hannah managed this situation and never let it escalate to a more serious problem than need be. Sometimes she would simply turn around and call out their names and ask them if they had a question or needed her assistance. Later on, Mrs. Hannah explained to me that she does a quick "re-focus" like this to the students who need it, but makes sure not to waste class time for the students who are paying attention. It is also obvious that certain students enjoy group activities, such as labs, while others despise them and would much rather work individually at their own desk. Some students were also able to behave on their own while in groups in with peers, while others needed teacher supervision to complete the assigned task.
During the lab, I was able to see first hand how the students worked collaboratively. Some groups were able to work productively with less teacher supervision, whereas others were very needy, whether it be for questions or for behavior checks. Today the students were finishing a lab from the previous day. Mrs. Hannah explained to me that normally she would be walking around the room from group to group working with them, answering questions, observing, helping, etc. However, since I was there on this day, she gave me the option to take her place, which I excitedly accepted. She briefly explained the lab to me so I had an idea about what the students were doing and gave me advice on how to interact with the students. She told me that when she goes from group to group, she asks opening questions like, "Hey guys what part of the lab are you working on" and then more specific like, "How did you get that measurement" or "What is a meniscus"? She says asking questions like these are a great way for her to see if the group is on the right path and if they understand the lab terms and directions, basically to see if they know what they are doing and where they might go wrong. One question Mrs. Hannah forbid me to answer was the conversion question, how many milliliters in a Liter. Mrs. Hannah explained to me that she has recently noticed her students are trying to take the easy way out of everything, which she is working on getting them out of this bad habit. The answer to this question that I was told to give is, "There is a chart in your book that can answer this question". Even though I was there to help each group, Mrs. Hannah did not waste the time, she used that opportunity to go over students grades individually. The chapter test was in a week, which would also be the last grade for the quarter. Therefore, Mrs. Hannah wanted each student to know where he/she stood grade average wise, so the students in trouble of failing knew the importance of doing well on this test. She did this individually by calling each student up to her desk giving them their grade, handing back any quizzes, worksheets, labs useful as a study material, giving study tip advice, and pointing out areas of concern that need a bit more attention.
I also wanted to quickly touch upon the type of classroom engagement Mrs. Hannah used. I find her techniques so amazing, always have a grasp on her students focus. When she speaks to the class, she does it as a whole, never singles any particular student out. She speaks loud and clear, making jokes when necessary, keeping the atmosphere comfortable and relaxed, but at the same time orderly and managed. She relates to her students and forms close, yet always appropriate, relationships with her students. When the students enter the class, during free time, or for instance today in the individual grade meeting, she always made sure to throw in a "Hey, I heard you scored the winning goal in the soccer game yesterday, pretty cool!" type of comment. There seems to be a mutual respect among herself and the students, that she seemingly worked hard not only to create, but also to keep in her classroom year round. Period two and period five are inclusion classes, which require Mrs. Williamson to be present and give her assistance. They work very together, always on the same page with the students. At the end of the period, when the students were to start their weekend homework individually in their seat, both teachers were walking up and down the rows of desks stopping with every student to check their work, keep them on task, answer their questions, etc.
Reflection
I enjoy observing Mrs. Hannah's management style in her classroom. It has only been a short time since the start of the year, and she has already formed such a strong and healthy relationship with the majority of her students. The high level of her involvement in every class period is something I would like to include my teaching. She has great time management, which is also something that I would like to practice during my student teaching. Every lesson she plans seems to be well thought out and planned well before class, not ten minutes before the day starts. This is crucial to the success of a lesson. Even if for some reason she does not have enough time to finish what she originally planned, she does not rush through what she is doing at the time. She gets through what she can and then rearranges what is next. For instance, she had to do this with the lab today. Originally, the lab was only to take one class period and would be collected at the end of the period. However, Mrs. Hannah explained to me that yesterday when the period was near ending she noticed that most groups completed Part A, B, and C, but had not even started Part D or E. Mrs. Hannah had to decide whether to grade the labs as is or allow the students more time. She made her decision based on the students overall effort. She saw the students working and trying, which is what she truly looks for in her students, the willingness to try. So she collected the labs at the end of the period and told them that since they worked all class period and put in a valid effort to complete the assignment on time, she will allow them tomorrow to finish the lab. This is where the mutual respect I feel comes into play. The students did what was asked of them and in return Mrs. Hannah rewarded them and made their efforts known, which by their excitement seemed to be greatly appreciated.
Another thing that stood out to me is the way that Mrs. Hannah met with each student individually and went over their averages. She wrote each students average on a separate sticky pad note and showed it to them, she did tell them verbally. She explained to me that she did this because most of her students are very private about their grades, especially the ones that are doing exceptionally well. There can be a lot of teasing about being the "smarty pants" and she does little things like this to try to avoid it. All of these small, yet absolutely amazing, ideas are things I want to implement into my teaching. The level of respect in Mrs. Hannah's classroom is what I want to have in mine. I love how she captures her students attention before beginning her lesson. For example, the other day when she began class with asking the student's favorite holiday and she had them from the start. Sometimes she will just be "crazy" (in an appropriate way) and the students think she is funny and cool and want to listen to her. Mrs. Hannah will go to any extreme to make sure her students succeed and that is a quality that I hope to possess one day as well.
From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher.
What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room. Draw a map of the classroom and sketch a path showing (approximately) this movement.
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
North Smithfield Middle School
November 4, 2010
Mrs. Lynn Hannah
Observation
As her usual daily routine, right at the beginning of the period when the students started filing in, Mrs. Hannah instructed them to immediately take their seats and copy down the daily objective written on the board. This helped the students settle down, gain their focus, and get ready to begin class. When the bell rang, Mrs. Hannah went straight to the board to explain today's lesson. While she was going over the information listed on the board, she instructed her students to be following along, taking the necessary notes needed for the lab, and write down all the instructions and weekend homework in their notebook. For the most part, when Mrs. Hannah was facing the board, the students were diligently taking notes and paying attention to everything she had to say. The students were even asking questions and clarifying any misconceptions they had. However, Mrs. Hannah still made it a point to keep her eyes on the board and the class as well. She never kept her back to the class for more than ten seconds at a time. She wanted not just to be aware of the students, but she wanted the students to know of this awareness as well. There is definitely a wide range of behaviors amongst all the students. Some are extremely hyper and act out often, whereas others barely make a sound. In her period three class, there is a select group of students that clearly loved having the attention focused on them and acted out quite often. Mrs. Hannah managed this situation and never let it escalate to a more serious problem than need be. Sometimes she would simply turn around and call out their names and ask them if they had a question or needed her assistance. Later on, Mrs. Hannah explained to me that she does a quick "re-focus" like this to the students who need it, but makes sure not to waste class time for the students who are paying attention. It is also obvious that certain students enjoy group activities, such as labs, while others despise them and would much rather work individually at their own desk. Some students were also able to behave on their own while in groups in with peers, while others needed teacher supervision to complete the assigned task.
During the lab, I was able to see first hand how the students worked collaboratively. Some groups were able to work productively with less teacher supervision, whereas others were very needy, whether it be for questions or for behavior checks. Today the students were finishing a lab from the previous day. Mrs. Hannah explained to me that normally she would be walking around the room from group to group working with them, answering questions, observing, helping, etc. However, since I was there on this day, she gave me the option to take her place, which I excitedly accepted. She briefly explained the lab to me so I had an idea about what the students were doing and gave me advice on how to interact with the students. She told me that when she goes from group to group, she asks opening questions like, "Hey guys what part of the lab are you working on" and then more specific like, "How did you get that measurement" or "What is a meniscus"? She says asking questions like these are a great way for her to see if the group is on the right path and if they understand the lab terms and directions, basically to see if they know what they are doing and where they might go wrong. One question Mrs. Hannah forbid me to answer was the conversion question, how many milliliters in a Liter. Mrs. Hannah explained to me that she has recently noticed her students are trying to take the easy way out of everything, which she is working on getting them out of this bad habit. The answer to this question that I was told to give is, "There is a chart in your book that can answer this question". Even though I was there to help each group, Mrs. Hannah did not waste the time, she used that opportunity to go over students grades individually. The chapter test was in a week, which would also be the last grade for the quarter. Therefore, Mrs. Hannah wanted each student to know where he/she stood grade average wise, so the students in trouble of failing knew the importance of doing well on this test. She did this individually by calling each student up to her desk giving them their grade, handing back any quizzes, worksheets, labs useful as a study material, giving study tip advice, and pointing out areas of concern that need a bit more attention.
I also wanted to quickly touch upon the type of classroom engagement Mrs. Hannah used. I find her techniques so amazing, always have a grasp on her students focus. When she speaks to the class, she does it as a whole, never singles any particular student out. She speaks loud and clear, making jokes when necessary, keeping the atmosphere comfortable and relaxed, but at the same time orderly and managed. She relates to her students and forms close, yet always appropriate, relationships with her students. When the students enter the class, during free time, or for instance today in the individual grade meeting, she always made sure to throw in a "Hey, I heard you scored the winning goal in the soccer game yesterday, pretty cool!" type of comment. There seems to be a mutual respect among herself and the students, that she seemingly worked hard not only to create, but also to keep in her classroom year round. Period two and period five are inclusion classes, which require Mrs. Williamson to be present and give her assistance. They work very together, always on the same page with the students. At the end of the period, when the students were to start their weekend homework individually in their seat, both teachers were walking up and down the rows of desks stopping with every student to check their work, keep them on task, answer their questions, etc.
Reflection
I enjoy observing Mrs. Hannah's management style in her classroom. It has only been a short time since the start of the year, and she has already formed such a strong and healthy relationship with the majority of her students. The high level of her involvement in every class period is something I would like to include my teaching. She has great time management, which is also something that I would like to practice during my student teaching. Every lesson she plans seems to be well thought out and planned well before class, not ten minutes before the day starts. This is crucial to the success of a lesson. Even if for some reason she does not have enough time to finish what she originally planned, she does not rush through what she is doing at the time. She gets through what she can and then rearranges what is next. For instance, she had to do this with the lab today. Originally, the lab was only to take one class period and would be collected at the end of the period. However, Mrs. Hannah explained to me that yesterday when the period was near ending she noticed that most groups completed Part A, B, and C, but had not even started Part D or E. Mrs. Hannah had to decide whether to grade the labs as is or allow the students more time. She made her decision based on the students overall effort. She saw the students working and trying, which is what she truly looks for in her students, the willingness to try. So she collected the labs at the end of the period and told them that since they worked all class period and put in a valid effort to complete the assignment on time, she will allow them tomorrow to finish the lab. This is where the mutual respect I feel comes into play. The students did what was asked of them and in return Mrs. Hannah rewarded them and made their efforts known, which by their excitement seemed to be greatly appreciated.
Another thing that stood out to me is the way that Mrs. Hannah met with each student individually and went over their averages. She wrote each students average on a separate sticky pad note and showed it to them, she did tell them verbally. She explained to me that she did this because most of her students are very private about their grades, especially the ones that are doing exceptionally well. There can be a lot of teasing about being the "smarty pants" and she does little things like this to try to avoid it. All of these small, yet absolutely amazing, ideas are things I want to implement into my teaching. The level of respect in Mrs. Hannah's classroom is what I want to have in mine. I love how she captures her students attention before beginning her lesson. For example, the other day when she began class with asking the student's favorite holiday and she had them from the start. Sometimes she will just be "crazy" (in an appropriate way) and the students think she is funny and cool and want to listen to her. Mrs. Hannah will go to any extreme to make sure her students succeed and that is a quality that I hope to possess one day as well.